Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

Azerbaijani and NATO officials have discussed the military-political situation in the South Caucasus region.

Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel General Zakir Hasanov received the NATO Parliamentary Assembly President, Hugh Bayley (UK), on June 17.

Hasanov provided detailed information on the military-political situation in the region, as well as continuation of Armenia's occupation policy and the negative impact of this factor on the region.

Armenia occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, after laying territorial claims against its South Caucasus neighbor that had caused a lengthy war in the early 1990s.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

Hasanov stressed that recently there has been recorded spurt in ceasefire violations on the front line, and said these provocations are conducted by the Armenian armed forces.

Violating the ceasefire regime on June 15, the Armenian armed forces shot dead a junior sergeant of the Azerbaijani Army. Besides, as a result of Armenian sabotage on the frontline, three soldiers of Azerbaijan's armed forces were killed in late May-early June.

The Armenian armed forces have intensified ceasefire violations on the contact line between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops since the beginning of 2014. As a result of ceasefire breaches, several Azerbaijani soldiers were shot dead.

For his part, Hugh Bayley, who visited Baku for the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Rose-Roth Seminar, stressed the importance of increasing efforts to achieve peace in the region.

Afterwards, the parties exchanged views on regional issues, current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan-NATO.

NATO and Azerbaijan are actively cooperating on democratic, institutional, and military reforms, and enjoy practical cooperation in various areas.

The cooperation plan between Azerbaijan and NATO is set out in the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) on Azerbaijan.